Chess, checker and backgammon are the games played using two sets of pieces on the boards. Chess and checker use a square form board with 64 spaces (smaller squares) of alternating colors, typically light and dark (mostly white and black). The backgammon game also uses the square form board and the game field usually with the dark color pattern (e.g. black) and, for example, white and red triangular form sections for pieces also known as stones (some players call them as draughts too). Typically, chess game include two sets of chessmen (also known as pawns and pieces), and the checker game (also known as draughtmen) and backgammon game use two sets of pieces (draughts). One set of the mentioned two sets has a light color and the another set has a dark color (usually white and black, but any other combination of colors may be used as well). The chessmen (pawns and pieces) and draughts will be conditionally referred to as pieces in this application hereinafter. The mentioned above two sets will be referred to as a set of pieces, and the set of pieces includes white piece set and black piece set. The white set of pieces includes only white pieces, and black set of pieces includes only black pieces. Also, hereinafter in this application a multi-game set will be considered to include the set of pieces and a game board.
Some chess/checker players record the moves made during a chess/checker game (match). Therefore, the chess/checker game board has the file and rank identification for each square. The files and ranks are mostly labeled in the different manner. White player always start the game (moves first).
A board may have the files and ranks marked (labeled) on only two contiguous sides, but mostly the board has the files and ranks marked (labeled) on all four sides. As disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,742, the black piece player reads the letters upside-down. If the numbers are not sideways, the problem of the player with the black pieces is compounded. One of the difficulties with this is that the board must be turned around before the next game with its customary color reversal.
The chessboard by U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,212 disclosing a sectional chessboard which includes a number of sections corresponding to blocks of a chessboard wherein each section of the chessboard has protrusions and grooves around all sides thereof to be respectively engaged with grooves and protrusions of other sections so that all adjoining sides of each section is jointed together for playing chess as a complete chessboard.
Such chess game set can not be conveniently used as a portable pocket-size game for car, bus, train or airplane tourists. Also, the mentioned set does not prevent the possible occasional disposition pieces on the board during a non-accurate or negligent player's manner to position piece near or even upon the borders of a square on the board, and/or at the moment of the unexpected tour-bus maneuver during the game.
Another U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,652 describes portable lawn playing checker apparatus including a board having a first and a second face; with a plurality of rectangles inscribed upon the first face and a first storage compartment and a second storage compartment attached to the second face of the rectangular base board on opposite ends of the base board for storing a plurality of movable rings, which are used as checkers. The board comprises the first and second holding compartments. The first holding means and a second holding means are attached to the first face of the board on opposite ends of the board. The first and second holding means are used for holding the movable rings (pieces) when playing the game to be played on the mentioned checker apparatus. The checker apparatus also comprises the special means for moving the movable rings from square to square. An example of the means for moving the movable rings is a device having a reaching member and a hook on one end of the reaching member.
This apparatus does not provide and suggests the multi-game possibility (for example, possibility also to play chess and/or backgammon), requires to use an additional special instrument such as piece mover, and also does not prevent the possible occasional disposition pieces on the board during a non-accurate or negligent player's manner to position piece near or even upon the borders of a square on the board.
As was mentioned above, the another inconvenience inherent when some players have a non-accurate or negligent manner to position piece near or even upon the borders of a square occasionally disposition opponent's piece on the board (one player knows where the piece is /should be or was/, but the another player /opponent/ can get thrown off by its off-center placement).
It is known, that the opponent sometimes has to say, “J'adoube” (adjust) before he or she may touch your ill-placed piece and then place it in the center of the square. Doing so, however, deprives the opponent of time allocated him or her by previous agreement. Another tactic some players use is floating a piece to a position just above a square but not contacting the square. This is called hovering. The general rule is touch a piece, move that piece, touch a square, leave it there. Players like to hover because it allows them to see ahead an additional move. Sometimes a player will hover interminably over a square which represents the worst move possible. This can cause the opponent to anticipate one course of action. Then the player will move with lightning speed and occupy a square which represents the best move possible. This is a technique that causes disappointment, consternation, confusion and palpitations in that order.
The inconvenience of a sudden displacement (roaming, sliding, etc.) of the pieces on the board, for example, at the moment of the unexpected tour-bus maneuver during the game, may cause the arguments about the positions before the displacement and sometimes search for missing (e.g. fell down) pieces.
To avoid these deficiencies, the magnetic effect for the board and pieces is used in some known portable sets.
The U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,490,675; 5,413,352; 5,244,212; 5,197,742 and 4,371,168 use the magnetic attraction between board and pieces. For example, the chess game devices by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,490,675 and 5,413,352 include a steel sheet attached to the board, and the pieces have a magnets installed in the bottom part of the pieces.
Such devices do not provide and suggests the multi-game possibility (for example, possibility also to play checker and/or backgammon games), and also does not prevent the possible occasional disposition pieces on the board, for example, at the moment of the unexpected tour-bus maneuver during the game, that may cause the player's arguments about the positions before the displacement and sometimes search for missing pieces. Additionally, such set games often suffer from inadequate magnetic attraction/repulsion between adjacent pieces.
The chess game sets by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,244,212; 5,197,742 provide each square of the board and each piece with the magnet appropriately installed in the each board's square and in the bottom of each piece.
These game sets do not provide and suggests the multi-game possibility (for example, possibility to play checker and/or backgammon games), and also does not prevent the possible occasional disposition pieces on the board, for example, at the moment of the unexpected tour-bus maneuver during the game, that may cause the player's arguments about the positions before the displacement and sometimes search for the fell down pieces. Also, such set games often suffer from inadequate magnetic attraction/repulsion between adjacent pieces.
Another U.S. Pat. No. 4,371,168 describes the pocket-size chess set, which comprises two slidable para-magnetic checkerboard halves and the flat pieces provided with a magnetic element on the back and bottom surfaces of each piece. Thus, each piece (chessman) may be placed either horizontally for storage or vertically for play on the checkerboard. Each square has a recessed circular portion located at the center of the square, and their margins are also recessed for the placing a piece thereon. Each piece is relatively thin and is provided with a magnetic element having a back surface and a narrow bottom surface projecting slightly below its lower end. In both positions (vertical and horizontal), the magnetic element is in contact with the recessed portion, so that each piece is properly centered on its square. When a piece is laid horizontally on a square, it lies flat because the back surface of its magnetic element extends into the recess.
This chess game set does not provide and suggests the multi-game possibility (for example, possibility to play checker and/or backgammon games), and the recesses on the board create some difficulties to use regular pieces of another set with such board having recesses (for example, the pieces of the another set without extended magnetic portion at the bottom of the pieces and having incompatible diameter of the piece's bottom portion with the diameter of the recesses /e.g. slightly bigger than the diameter of the recess/).
While this device fulfill it respective, particular objectives and requirements, the mentioned above patents do not disclose, teach and/or suggest the portable (pocket-size) multi-game set preventing occasional/accidental piece disposition on the board (for example, at the moment of the unexpected tour-bus maneuver during the game, that may cause the player's arguments about the positions before the displacement and sometimes search for missing /e.g. fell down pieces/) and inadequate magnetic attraction/repulsion between adjacent pieces on the board.
Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and advantages of the improved portable (pocket-size) multi-game set may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention.
Thus, the known prior art do not provide the comfortable and convenient portable (pocket-size) multi-game set (apparatus) and in theses respects, an improved portable (pocket-size) multi-game set according to the present invention substantially departs from the devices of the prior art.